Music is My Field Returns to Atlanta
Atlanta, GA, US
Music is My Field is a musical collaboration between Atlanta jazz musician Kebbi Williams alongside his music collective Reverence, French saxophonist Raphaël Imbert, Nine Spirit, le Conservatoire de musique de Marseille and AMI at Friche la Belle de Mai. In this newest stage of the collaboration, Raphaël Imbert comes to Atlanta with several other French musicians (T.I.E, Blanche Lafuente, Fabien Ottones and Antoine-Aurèle Cohen-Perrot) for a creative residency with Kebbi Williams and other Atlanta Musicians. They will play on November 17th as part of Music in the Park.
The collaboration between Raphaël Imbert and Reverence began in May 2023 with the project Music is My Field, a field project by Raphaël Imbert exploring the musical styles of the Southeast and Appalachia.
In November 2023, Kebbi Williams–Reverence frontman and Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist–was invited to perform with Raphaël Imbert during JEST Festival in Marseille, France. Learn more about their performance at JEST.
In July 2024, Reverence and Raphaël Imbert performed with musicians from Marseille’s Conservatoire Pierre Barbizet as part of the Jazz des Cinq Continents festival in Marseille, France.
On November 17, they will perform as part of Music in the Park.
In 2024, Music is My Field was awarded a grant from Villa Albertine’s Jazz & New Music program.
Raphaël Imbert is a self-taught jazz saxophonist, conductor, and composer. One of his favorite areas of research, which he continues to pursue, is the spiritual in jazz. The founding act of Raphaël Imbert’s artistic approach dates back to 1999, with the creation of a nine musicians orchestra, La Compagnie Nine Spirit. In 2010, Raphaël Imbert joined the Improtech program, in conjunction with IRCAM and EHESS, and travelled to the United States to study the links between traditional folk music, orality and improvisation, new media and the digital revolution. He has worked with musicians such as Archie Shepp, Daniel Humair, Yaron Herman, Anne Paceo, the Manfred Quartet, the Chemirani Trio, Arnaud Thorette and Johan Farjot’s Ensemble Contraste, Johan Farjot, Karol Beffa, Hugh Coltman, Laurent de Wilde, and more. Raphaël Imbert’s discography includes “Newtopia Project: Suite Élégiaque” (2006), “Bach – Coltrane” (2008), “New York Project” (2009), “Live au Tracteur”(2011), “Heavens – Amadeus & The Duke” (2013), “Janus” (2013), “The Appalachians” (2014).
Kebbi Williams is a Grammy award winning tenor saxophonist and one of contemporary music’s whirlwind improvisers. His innovative sound dives, blends and jumpstarts all music genres. Avant-garde jazz, hip-hop, Afro-beat, gospel, electronica, classical and fiery rock are all loops that Kebbi interweaves with passion and edge. The Atlanta native received both an undergraduate degree and Master’s in Jazz Studies from prestigious Howard University. At the age of 22, he won the Jazz Instrumental Soloist Category (college division) award from Downbeat Magazine. Kebbi launched his professional career as a much in demand studio and touring musician. OutKast, the legendary Donald Byrd, Cee-lo Green, Mos Def, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bilal, Oteil Burbridge, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Russell Gunn, Julie Dexter and iconic Betty Carter are among the elite musicians and vocalists who jumped off Kebbi’s unique horn. He is also an original member and presently touring for the ninth year with the Tedeschi Trucks Band (with whom he won the Grammy in 2012 in the Blues Album category.)
Reverence is a multi-faceted collective based in Atlanta, GA that specializes in creating improvised soundscapes that blur the lines of genre; a classification dubbed couture sounds. The combined resume of collaborations from the collective include work with the likes of Russell Gumm, Chris Dave, Kamaal Williams, Roy Ayers, Outkast, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Little Tybee, Arrested Development, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, and many more. Reverence collective includes TJ Merritt (bass), Chris Marks (guitar), Dallas Dawson (drums), Kebbi Williams (saxophone, flute), Brandon Stephens (bass), Quinn Mason (saxophone, moog), and CJ Brinson (drums). Learn more about Reverence.
